Not Applicable.
This invention relates to improvements in plastic tote boxes, and in particular to a tote box having improved structural integrity, drainage, and security.
Plastic tote boxes have been known for a number of years and have found widespread usage in commercial and residential applications. Such boxes have been available having no lids, with one-piece lids which enclose the entire top of the box, or with two-piece lids, each piece of which is hinged along one side of the tote box and in which the pieces meet along a line of closure generally in the middle of the box top. These boxes are used for storing and transporting parts or other items and are reusable. The boxes and their lids are also typically made of plastic materials which are recyclable.
Plastic tote boxes having two piece lids are particularly troublesome when a heavy object is placed on the lid. The heavy object may cause the box sides to flex outward, separating the two piece lid and allowing the object to fall into the box. The two piece lid then snaps back into place with the object inside the box and no indication of its location. If the object is taller than the box, the object falls to the box bottom and is trapped by the box lid pieces impinging on the object sides, making removal of the object from the box difficult.
During shipment and storage, boxes of the type described, individually and in stacks, are also subjected to moisture, such as rain, condensation, accidental or intentional spraying, or leakage from an upper box to a lower box. If this moisture is permitted to enter the box, it can sometimes damage or ruin the items contained in the box. It is, therefore, desirable that moisture collected on the box lid be directed away from the interior of the box.
Tote boxes of the type described are also often secured by strapping a band around the box exterior to keep the box sides from flexing outward and the lid from inadvertently opening. The band tends to dig into the box edges causing then to crack and fail. If the box is strapped over lid hinges, the hinges can be crushed by the tightened strap rendering the hinge inoperable.
Furthermore, packing slips are often required in a box for shipment. The packing slip is often available only after the box has been closed and stacked. This makes insertion of the slip into the box very difficult. Currently, in order to insert a packing slip in a closed stacked box, the box stack must be disassembled to the desired box and the box must be opened to insert the slip into the box.
The invention provides improvements in a plastic tote box of the type having a two-piece hinged lid, with each piece of the lid being hinged along the top of opposite sides of the box. In a box incorporating the invention, each of the lid pieces has at least one channel which is closed for 360xc2x0 in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the channel and formed in at least one of the lid sections to increase the strength of each lid section. The channel overlaps the other lid section when the lid is closed.
In another aspect of the invention, a hollow channel in each lid piece overlaps the other lid piece, further increasing the structural integrity of the closed lid.
In another aspect of the invention, a plastic tote box of the type which is provided with a lid having a substantially planar central area surrounded by a raised peripheral edge has a cut out formed in the peripheral edge, providing a planar surface extending through the peripheral edge. The planar surface provides a path for fluid which has collected in the central area to flow off the lid without entering the box.
In another aspect of the invention, a plastic tote box of the type which is provided with four generally vertical sides and a lid for covering an open top of the box has at least one of the box sides with a mail slot formed in it. The mail slot allows insertion of a packing slip or the like into the box without opening the box lid.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and detailed description.